Daily Terrorist Round-Up Stories 4/22/05 (Bad guys die in Afghanistan, Saudi, Malaysia & India)

4/22/05

[Straight Vermonter]

Two Senior Taliban Surrender to Afghan Government (plus 12 terrorist killed)

KABUL (Reuters) - Two senior members of Afghanistan's former Taliban regime surrendered to the government on Thursday under an amnesty offer, a provincial governor said.  The officials -- Mullah Mohammad Naseem, the former Taliban governor of Zabul province, and Haji Mohammad Akhtar, former police chief of Farah province -- surrendered following month-long talks, the governor of Helmand province said.  "They've joined the government's national reconciliation program," the governor, Mullah Sher Mohammad, told Reuters.

The Taliban have been waging an insurgency since being overthrown by U.S.-led forces in late 2001 for refusing to hand over al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on U.S. cities. The government is seeking to coax rank-and-file Taliban to give up their fight but the amnesty offer does not include 150 of the movement's senior leaders, accused of militant violence or of having links with al Qaeda.

Fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and his die-hard supporters have shunned the talks and vowed to keep on fighting Karzai's government and foreign troops in Afghanistan.  Negotiations on the pair's surrender were brokered by officials in Helmand province, from where they both come, said the governor.  Akhtar was until recently involved in attacks on government and U.S.-led forces, said another official, who declined to be identified. The commanders' fighters are believed to be either on the run or still involved in the insurgency. 
Another Taliban commander in Helmand, Abdul Wahid Baghrani, surrendered this month.

Guerrilla activity has picked up after a winter lull but activity is down on past years, fueling speculation the Taliban may be struggling to find recruits and resources. In another sign of problems for Afghanistan's insurgents, U.S. forces blasted rebel positions with bombs, rockets and artillery, killing at least 12 insurgents, after rockets were fired at a U.S. base in southeastern Afghanistan.

Helicopters, aircraft and artillery were used to respond to the four rockets fired without effect at the Salerno base in Khost province on Tuesday night, the U.S. military said in a statement.  "We were able to see the launching point of the rockets and we brought everything we had to bear on it," U.S. army Major J.R. Mendoza said in the statement.  "They shot at us with rockets and we responded with artillery, fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft," he said.

The military said two 500-pound bombs, 10 rockets, and hundreds of rounds and shells were fired at the rebels, killing more than a dozen.

The clash was one of the bloodiest in recent months in Afghanistan, where more than 18,000 U.S.-led troops are pursuing Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

---

4 Dead As Militants, Saudi Forces Clash
By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer

MECCA, Saudi Arabia - Islamic militants clashed with Saudi security forces in Islam's holiest city of Mecca and nearby Jiddah, killing two militants and two policemen Thursday as the kingdom held a final round of municipal elections.

The bloodshed was the latest in the Saudi Arabia's two-year crackdown on al-Qaida-linked militants opposed to the ruling family, a campaign that authorities have said they were winning with the killings of several high-level suspects over the past month.

The fighting in Mecca started when four militants in a car — a driver and three others disguised in women's all-covering robes — tried to cross through a checkpoint into the city several hours after polls closed, said Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, an Interior Ministry spokesman.  When stopped, the militants tried to flee. Police captured the driver but the three others fled, al-Turki told the state-run television station Al-Ekhbariya.

Several security officials in Mecca said the three took shelter in nearby houses. After several hours of fighting, two of the militants were killed and the third wounded and captured, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Two policemen were killed in the battle and a number wounded, the officials said.

Residents said the shootout lasted two hours, with police calling in troops and helicopters to batter the militants on the hill where they'd taken shelter. During the battle, a house and 15 cars, mostly civilian, caught fire in a narrow alley with a view of a hill.  Footage from Associated Press Television News showed police with automatic rifles keeping back civilians and a person being carried into an ambulance. It was not clear if the person was wounded or dead.

Al-Turki refused to reveal the identities of the militants or say if they were on Saudi Arabia's list of 26 most wanted militants.

Hours earlier, security forces fought a pair of militants in Jiddah, about 40 miles from Mecca, officials in the port city said. The gunmen opened fire when stopped by a patrol, then led police on a chase through the city until they holed up in a farm on Jiddah's edge, the security officials said. After several hours of gunfire, the two militants were wounded and captured, they said.

Security was tight in both cities as men in western Saudi Arabia were going to the polls Thursday in the last of three round of elections for municipal councils. Authorities drew no connection between the fighting and the voting.  Al-Qaida's branch in the kingdom issued no direct threats or condemnations against the election, Saudi Arabia's first limited experiment in democracy. Islamic hard-liners have done well in previous rounds of the election, held in central and eastern Saudi Arabia earlier this year, making strong showings in many city councils.

In Jiddah on Thursday, many of the men lined up to vote — women were barred from participating — were Islamic fundamentalists, distinctive for their long beards and short white robes. Voting was also going on Thursday in Qassem, the most ultraconservative region of Saudi Arabia, northwest of the capital, Riyadh. Results of the voting were expected on Saturday, and hard-liners were expected to do well.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 suicide hijackers, has cracked down on al-Qaida and other armed militants since 2003, after a string of deadly suicide bombings. Its security forces have killed or captured 23 of the militants on the most wanted list.

In the first week of April, security forces waged their biggest gunbattle to date with militants, fighting a band of them for three days in the northwestern desert town of Rass. Fourteen militants were killed — including two members of the most wanted list — and six others captured, and a day after the battle ended police in Riyadh killed another figure from the list.

The Mecca gunbattle took place about 5 miles from the mosque surrounding the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, where each year millions of Muslims from around the world gather for the Hajj pilgrimage.

---

Iraq Suicide Bombers Are Mostly Foreigners, Official Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2005 – Most of the people committing suicide bombings in Iraq today are foreigners, not Iraqis, a senior Multinational Force Iraq official told reporters at an April 14 meeting with reporters in Baghdad. “The sense is that many of the suicide bombers are in fact foreign jihadists, not Iraqis, for the most part,” the official said, speaking to reporters on background. “The ones that we’ve gotten our hands on are certainly foreigners,” he pointed out.

Foreign insurgents operating in Iraq seem to be coming from about 25 countries, the official noted. The majority, he observed, are from Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

However, U.S. military analysts in Iraq “don’t see that foreign fighters have become a significant force in the insurgency,” the official noted. Out of about 10,000 detainees now being held in Iraq, only “357, 358, something like that” are non-Iraqis.

The official also cited reports that say Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s anti-American militia, the so-called Mahdi Army, is undergoing “some regeneration.” However, the official added, Sadr’s Baghdad-based group, which had been blamed for several atrocities, had “lost a lot of public support” since the Jan. 30 Iraqi elections.

The official declined to comment on the idea of any possible amnesty program for former insurgents. “That will obviously be a government of Iraq decision,” the official said.
 

---

TERRORISM: ANALYSIS - NORTH WAZIRISTAN NEW TALIBAN HAVEN
 
Islamabad, 21 April (AKI) - With the Taliban reviving their guerilla activity across southern and south eastern Afghanistan as winter thaws to spring, the US military there has fingered the Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan as the Taliban's new terrorist hub, and insisted on a Pakistani military operation in the area. Sources in Pakistan’s strategic circles say that during recent meetings between US and Pakistan military officials fresh intelligence was exchanged singling out North Waziristan as a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaeda where these elements congregate and work on new techniques and strategies. Strangely enough, tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan, like the mountainous zone of Shawal which were highly suspect in the past, are no longer the priority. Instead attention is turning to the local capital Miranshah, Mir Ali, and areas near Data Khail.

Shawal is technically on the Afghan side of the Durand line which divides Pakistan and Afghanistan but local tribes insist on their Pakistani nationality. Several operations were conducted there in recent years in search of Osama bin Laden and the Egyptian doctor Al-Zawahiri, a prominent member of the al-Qaeda group and often described as Osama's "lieutenant".

Top Taliban leaders, including the legendary mujahadeen commander who fought the Russian troops and was a minister in the former Taliban regime, Jalaluddin Haqqani, are believed to have sought refuge in the mountainous areas of North Waziristan, which is part of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.

Sources told Adnkronos International (AKI) that an operation strategy was finalized soon after the US military commander of troops in Afghanistan, David Barno, visited Pakistan and held meetings with Pakistani officials. During the meeting new Taliban activities was discussed. With the start of spring after a deadly winter, the Taliban have launched fresh guerrilla attacks adopting a new strategy.

Mehmoodullah Haq Yar, a guerilla commander who was previously in Northern Iraq and participated in guerrilla activities along with Ansar al-Islam, an anti-US Kurdish formation, came back to Afghanistan and convinced the Taliban leadership to modify their strategy along the lines of Iraqi resistance groups.

As a result, the Taliban eliminated their established pockets of resistance all over Afghanistan and assigned the task of targeted attack to a few selected teams. Each team member was to search out a separate target, and then mobilize their resources to hit it. Instead of their past random and unplanned attacks, all recent Taliban attacks have been refined, sophisticated and well judged and caused serious damage to US military personnel and installations, including oil supplies, helicopters and convoys.

Powerful have operations continued in Afghanistan, in search of Taliban and Al-Qaeda squads who are behind such attacks, but in US intelligence and military circles there is the conviction that the hub of such activities is now North Waziristan - hence the responsibility of Pakistan.

Although the Corps Commander in Peshawar, Lieutenant General Safdar Hussain, has dismissed the idea of any operation in North Waziristan, already a division of Pakistan Army troops under the command of Major General Akram Sahi has been stationed there. Local sources note fresh check points have been established and operation preparations are very visible in the area

Several Pakistani papers on Thursday carried reports from senior military figures denying that any operation was planned or underway, revealing veiled irritation at US pressure for more action. Lt. General Safdar Hussain reacted to reports of a possible operation in North Waziristan, for fear that any US connection in North Waziristan operation would only generate controversies.

At present, the Pakistani government is engaging local tribals leaders in Jirgas on the new development. Jirga is an old tradition within Afghan society in which leaders meet to resolve their disputes and take decisions.

Malik Wali Khan, a local tribal chief, maintained after a recent gathering (Jirga) that tribal leaders would not oppose army action and were ready to coordinate with Pakistan. He also suggested that tribal leaders should inform the authorities about the presence of foreigners in North Waziristan and they would smoke them out.

Only a few months ago, Pakistan conducted several months-long operations in South Waziristan, against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. As a result of fierce resistance by the local militants it is estimated that over 800 military and para-military forces lost their lives, while a few hundred local civilians and militants were killed.

These operations however failed to arrest any high-profile Taliban or Al-Qaeda figures and were wound up after all foreign fighters left South Waziristan. The authorities were forced to strike a truce deal and amnesty for local warlords who handed in their arms and were paid for them.

North and South Waziristan are two different tribal areas which are largely beyond the writ of Pakistan, though still administered through a political agent according to still extant British colonial laws. North and South Waziristan share borders with the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia and Paktika.

The Wazir tribe, present in both North and South Waziristan, are closely linked to the people of Khandhar (the former spiritual heartland of the Taliban) in Afghanistan. Wazir and Mehsud are the two main tribes in these regions.

A British officer who was posted in these tribal areas during British colonial rule of India termed the Wazir and Mehsuds "the panthers and the wolves of the mountains". The distant Greek ancestry of the two peoples, some say, can still be detected today in their aquiline features.

---

Spain puts 24 al-Qaeda suspects on trial

MADRID, Spain (AP) — They led quiet lives as immigrant businessmen or laborers, raising kids and blending into Spanish society. On Friday, they will go on trial as suspected members of an al-Qaeda cell charged with using their new homeland as a staging ground for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Twenty-four men — mostly Syrians and Moroccans — will sit on wooden benches in a cramped, bulletproof chamber at a makeshift courtroom as Spain becomes only the second country after Germany to try suspects in the al-Qaeda terrorist assault on the United States.

The trial culminates a lengthy inquiry by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's top anti-terrorism magistrate, who began investigating Muslim militants in Spain in the mid-1990s and started arresting Sept. 11 suspects just two months after hijacked jets struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The lead defendant is Imad Yarkas, 42, a Syrian-born Spaniard with a wife and six children. Under the guise of being a small-time merchant importing used cars for resale, Yarkas is alleged to have overseen an al-Qaeda cell that provided logistical cover for Sept. 11 plotters such as Mohamed Atta, believed to have piloted one of the jets that struck the World Trade Center.

Two other suspects also are accused specifically of helping plan the attack. They are Moroccan Driss Chebli, 33, who allegedly helped Yarkas arrange a meeting in Spain in July 2001 attended by Atta and Sept. 11 coordinator Ramzi bin al-Shibh; and Syrian-born Ghasoub al-Abrash Ghalyoun, 39, who shot detailed video of the World Trade Center and other landmarks in 1997.

The videotapes were eventually passed on to "operative members of al-Qaeda and would become the preliminary information on the attacks against the twin towers," Garzon wrote in a September 2003 indictment against the three men and 32 other suspects, including al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and fugitive Moroccan Amer Azizi. The indictment was later broadened to 41 people.

Garzon has said his investigation showed Muslim militants leading discreet lives operated freely in Spain for years, allegedly recruiting men for terrorist training in Afghanistan, preaching holy war and laundering money for al-Qaeda operations.

Spain was struck by suspected al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in the Madrid train bombings of March 2004, which killed 191 people. This week's trial is expected to lay out legal guidelines for that case as well.

The Spanish cell's alleged financial mastermind is Mohamed Ghaleb Kalaje Zouaydi, a father of five who Garzon said used real estate companies to funnel al-Qaeda money to other countries.

Under Spanish law, terrorism is classified as a crime that can be prosecuted here even if it is alleged to have been committed in another country. Garzon also argues he can go after al-Qaeda because the Sept. 11 plot was hatched in part in Spain.

Yarkas' lawyer, Jacobo Teijelo, insists Spain lacks jurisdiction because proceedings are under way in the United States — against French citizen Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person indicted in America in the Sept. 11 attacks. He has yet to go on trial.

Teijelo said Spanish prosecutors "have no solid evidence of anything" and he found it odd that if Yarkas and his alleged accomplices are in fact Sept. 11 plotters, the United States hasn't sought their extradition. "That is jarring from the point of view of common sense," the lawyer said.

Those standing trial starting Friday are the 24 who are in Spanish custody. The rest of the 41 men indicted are either fugitives or in custody in other countries.

Besides Yarkas and his two alleged accomplices, the defendants are charged with belonging to a terrorist organization, weapons possession or other offenses, but not specific involvement in the Sept. 11 plot. They include Al-Jazeera journalist Tayssir Alouny, who is accused of belonging to al-Qaeda.

The trial is being held under tight security at a trade fair pavilion. The normal venue for such proceedings would be the National Court, but it was considered too small for a trial with so many defendants, lawyers and reporters. The trial is expected to last for up to four months.

Prosecutors have requested jail terms of almost 75,000 years each for Yarkas and the other two Sept. 11 defendants — 25 years for each of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attack. Under Spanish law, the maximum time they can serve for a terrorism conviction is 40 years.

The other defendants face jail terms ranging from nine to 27 years.

---

Two guerillas detained in Chechnya

KHANKALA. April 21 (Interfax) - Two guerillas, one of them a subordinate to field commander Timur Abubakarov and the other a member of Rizvan Chitigov's guerilla unit, have been detained in Chechnya, a spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus told Interfax on Thursday.

The guerillas are suspected of murdering and attacking servicemen and administrative buildings in Chechnya, he said.

A terrorist attack has been prevented in the Itum-Kale district of Chechnya, where guerillas were supposedly preparing to attack the Argun border detachment.

---

US offers hefty rewards for tips on (Canadian) al Qaeda members
 
    WASHINGTON, April 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States on Wednesday offered hefty rewards for information regarding two Canadian citizens associated with al Qaeda.

    "The State Department under the Rewards For Justice program is offering two new rewards up to 5 million dollars each to encourage individuals to come forward with information regarding Abdul Rauf bin-Habib Judai (Pictured left) and Fakir bin-Abdulaziz Busura (pictured right)," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a briefing.

    "These two gentlemen have extensive histories of extremist affiliations and links with al Qaeda. They are being sought in connection with possible terrorist threats in the United States," he said.

    Ereli said Busura has declared his intention to become a "martyr" in a suicide attack and the two are believed to be traveling together.

    The United States has accused al-Qaeda of being responsible forthe Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks that levelled the twin towers ofthe World Trade Center.
 

---

Yemen, facing threats on 2 fronts, puts troops on alert (It's tme for the US to act)
Al Qaeda, tribesmen get restive in nation known for militancy

By Ahmed al-Haj

SAN`A, Yemen -- After years of working to shake its reputation as a hotbed of Islamic militancy, Yemen is now trying to keep the lid on two separate threats, both of which have bubbled up into violence and can do so again.

One threat is Al Qaeda and its sympathizers among Islamic extremists who have targeted foreigners in this mountainous nation at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

A group of Al Qaeda suspects is standing trial, raising fears of revenge attacks. Vague security warnings have Western embassies wary, prompting the U.S. and British missions to shut down briefly earlier this month. The government has hinted of a new crackdown targeting underground schools teaching extremism.

At the same time, the government is facing a persistent rebellion by Shiite tribesmen who are followers of cleric Hussein Badr Eddin al-Houti, who was killed in September after months of battles with Yemeni security forces.

This month, troops had to put down a resumption of violence by his followers, who are thought to be led by his father, Badr Eddin al-Houti, in fighting that tribal sources say killed 250 people on both sides. The elder al-Houti escaped the government crackdown.

The two movements are not linked. Al-Houti's followers are angry at the government, saying it has become too closely allied with Washington, and have focused their attacks on security forces. But they oppose Wahhabism--the ultraconservative stream of Sunni Islam said to feed Al Qaeda-style militancy--and reject attacking foreigners.

The two threats together have the country on alert. Yemeni troops are in the hills of the northwest region of Sa'dah, hunting for al-Houti's fighters. In the capital, extra soldiers are guarding government buildings.

The United States and British Embassies in San`a both shut down April 9, and the State Department warned Americans not to travel to Yemen. Officials refused to specify the nature of the threat. The British Embassy reopened within a day and the American Embassy within two, but the U.S. travel warning remains in effect.

Security officials acknowledged on condition of anonymity that there is concern about new sabotage attempts by al-Houti's followers, and about the possibility of new Al Qaeda attacks to capitalize on the tense situation.

Yemen has long had a reputation of tolerating lawlessness and Islamic militancy. It is the ancestral homeland of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has witnessed many attacks on foreign targets, including the 2000 bombing of the destroyer USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Yemeni government aligned itself with the U.S.-led war on terrorism, avoiding Washington's retribution but angering some Yemenis.

The country is now putting some Al Qaeda suspects on trial, including seven suspects charged with plotting attacks on the British and Italian Embassies and the French cultural center.

Prime Minister Abdul-Kader Bajammal hinted at a further crackdown, saying Saturday that the government won't remain silent about underground Islamic extremist schools that have about 330,000 students. He warned that such teaching would "bring disaster to Yemen."

The government has depicted al-Houti's followers as an outlaw movement in this country where tribes often resist central authority and where private weapons are widespread.

It accused the younger al-Houti of forming an armed group, The Believing Youth, with the aim of inciting action against the United States through speeches in mosques and illegally organized demonstrations.

A Western diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said al-Houti's followers are not considered terrorists and that the situation is instead considered a rebellion.

But in a nation where authorities estimate 60 million firearms are circulating--averaging about three per citizen--any armed clash can become a major security concern.

So far, the revolt hasn't spilled over into attacks on foreigners, the diplomat said.

"But any time there is any armed conflict, you're worried in general," the diplomat said.

---

Relatives confirm deaths of insurgents  (Thailand)

YALA, Apr 21 (TNA) - The Southern Border Provinces Peacekeeping Command (SBPPC) today launched an investigation into the apparent deaths in Malaysia of members of the BRN Congress insurgent group, whose relatives said that the deaths could be confirmed.

Reports suggest that Mr. Jekupeng Buraso and Mr. Waehama Luboyaseng, who both had a Bt1 million price tag on their heads, have died in Malaysia of natural causes and that their bodies have been returned to Thailand for burial, while Mr. Maraseng Luksingto has also died.

Today Mr. Siwa Sangmanee, Deputy Director of the SBPPC, said that the reports would be investigated by local officials.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to TNA reporters, a local source said that relatives of Mr. Waehama, otherwise known as Poma Sungaibatu, living in Yala Province had confirmed that Mr. Waehama died on 21 January in Malaysia's Perak State of a longstanding health condition. 

They also confirmed the death of Mr. Maraseng, who led the BRN's political division.

Relatives of Mr. Jekupeng, otherwise known as Rosa, likewise confirmed his death on 8 April, attributing the death to depression. 

The relatives of all three men said that the bodies had been returned to Thailand for funerary rites.

Mr. Waehama, who was 66 years old at the time of his death, was head of the BRN command, and during his lifetime was active in Yaha, Kabang, Bannangsata and Tharnto districts in Yala, and Srisakhon and Rueso districts in Narathiwat. 

'Rosa', aged 63 when he died, was head of the BRN's military wing. (TNA)--E006

---

Three LeT militants killed in encounter:-
 
Three terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Naliyan-Shindhara top in Poonch sector last evening.

The killed militants were later identified as Abu Abdullah Umar, Abu Kattal and Abu Jabran.

Three AK rifles, 9 magazines, 78 rounds, 3 hand grenades, a wireless set, a battery charger, a diary and a steel trunk carrying papers and medicines were recovered from the militants.

Acting on a tip-off, the security forces launched an operation. When the security forces, belonging to the Romeo force were approaching the suspected area at around 11.30 am they came under heavy fire from the militants. The security forces effectively retaliated and in the ensuing encounter, three LeT militants were killed.

Officials said the militants were wanted in many cases and would be a major blow for the militant outfit.

"At 11.30 the police party launched an operation. They got a hideout, which the militants had vacated, they destroyed it. Then the terrorist group started firing which went for more than an hour. The militants were killed during the firing", said Brigadier Ravijeet, Commander.

"These militants belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit. They were active from the past 3 years", added Brigadier Ravijeet. (ANI)


 

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Lots of activity in lots of places. The beast has yet to be slain though progress is being made.

[endthematrix]

"Syrian-born Ghasoub al-Abrash Ghalyoun, 39, who shot detailed video of the World Trade Center and other landmarks in 1997."

Some of the others:

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, whose support pillars get great attention in the videos. Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and interior and exteriors of a New York airport, as well as the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Disneyland and Universal Studio theme parks in California.

[SteveMcKing]

How many ACLU lawyers are still on the loose?

[Straight Vermonter]

Let me know if you want on/off the terrorist roundup ping list

Terrorist Scorecard

The Iraqi "Deck of Cards" Scoreboard

Centcom's New Iraq Scorecard

Saudi Arabia's Most Wanted Scorecard

[leadpenny]

Bump

[FreedomPoster]

Too dang many, is the easy answer to that one.

[bitt]

bttt-
thanks for your ping.

[Springman]

Bump!!!

Thanks for the ping.